11 months
Written By: Esther / Category: News / View Comments: 2
Milestones: Emilia and Jackson both took 3 steps. William has taken maybe 2. The babies cruise like crazy, and it seems they would rather walk than crawl. Today, William climbed on a chair, and I nearly had a panic attack. I was playing with the babies on the floor, only a couple feet away and didn’t notice. Right then, I moved most of the furniture into the guest bedroom. I put the coffee table, rocking chair and dining room chairs in there. Afterwards, I found him on the couch. I don’t think I’m going to like the climbing stage…
Still, we’re very much enjoying the babies right now; they obviously know us and show it. Communication is happening. Also, we’re integrating them into our (previous) daily lives, no longer tethered to the house. We go anywhere and everywhere with them! I think we’re finally “used to” them.
Still, the attention remains. On Sat., the neighborhood had a garage sale, and we went looking for something that Jason could turn into a triplet table. Everywhere, people kept saying, “Hey, it’s that triplet family!” The attention never ceased, to the point where I finally said forget it, and we turned back. We’re used to the babies, but it may be a while before anyone else is.
Back to my sleep issues: I’ve been on a crazy sleep schedule for a while. For example, last Monday I fell asleep at 9pm and woke around 2am…for the day. Then on Tuesday, I fell asleep at 9pm and woke at 7am. Wed., it’s back to 9pm and 2am. This sounds nuts, but it’s working for me. I’m having a busy quarter at school, in addition to taking care of the babies the majority of the time, so I’m always, “Go, go, go!” Between pop quizzes, section quizzes, and essays, I’m grading approximately 150 papers a week. I’m also taking a core class outside my area, cognitive processes in child development (I want to learn more about babies), and presented my research to the department in an hour long talk, as required once a year. I can’t sleep.
If my sleep gets disrupted even slightly, my brain turns on and I start thinking about all I have to do. This happens a lot: “Crap! I forgot to email so-and-so about the exam tomorrow!” And I leap out of bed and start sending emails at 3am. People think I’m up already because of the babies, but I can’t really blame them anymore. My inability to sleep has truly taken on a life of its own.
I can handle the crazy schedule. I don’t mind the work at all; I’ve always been a hard worker. Slowly but surely, I’m getting the hang of it.
So, we’ve been without any help since Jason started working from home. If anyone is looking for a part-time job babysitting 1 year old triplets once a week, let me know!! We’re both pushed to the max and need just a little help. We would rather hire a referral than anymore craigslist babysitters.
10 months
Written By: Esther / Category: News / View Comments: 22
Milestones: Emilia is on the verge of walking. She gets around the house holding on to things, and can take a step by herself and also stand a bit before falling. I think if I had more time to spend with her alone, she would be walking by now. My older sister was also a very early walker – 9 months. After that, my mom discouraged me from walking too soon…haha! William and Jackson also pull themselves up, and William cruises almost as well as Emilia. All 3 can go from standing to sitting. This is a great recent development because Jackson was driving me crazy, screaming, refusing to sit on his own. Finally one day he did it (about 3 weeks after the other 2), and he’s much happier with the ability to pull himself up, sit back down, and crawl around. Emmy has 5 teeth and the boys have 8 each.
Emmy’s going through a night waking stage. Not sure if it’s teething. She usually wakes twice (maybe 12am and 4am), and we end up feeding and changing her. This is compounded by the fact that she is the worst sleeper; For months, she has been the first to wake from naps, and always the earliest riser. She probably averages 13 hours of sleep in a 24 hour period, whereas the boys average more like 15.
My sleeping issues are back full-force. I’ve learned insomnia is common among triplet moms, I don’t know why. When Emmy wakes, it’s rare I can fall back to sleep in fewer than 2-3 hours. After she woke at 3:30am last night, I tossed and turned (luckily Jason can sleep through my restlessness) until 5:30, at which point I decided I was wasting time, lying there thinking about my research, my classes, students, and on, and [Continue Reading…]
9 months
Written By: Esther / Category: News / View Comments: 4
Milestones: All babies started holding their bottles independently w/o props last month. Everyone is down to 2 naps and 3 bottles a day. Emilia is the most curious baby. William loves people, and to be held; when you pick him up, he attaches himself to you like a tick. Jackson has the best…lungs. All babies are crawling. Emilia and William pull themselves up on everything.
A typical shift looks like this: bottle + solids, lasting about an hour. After cleanup, babies start cruising. Jackson mostly sits unassisted while chewing on various toys, and either he or William insist I hold them while watching their siblings. Emilia immediately figures out the most dangerous things to do, like finding cords, investigating the fireplace and outlets, or getting herself stuck under the couch. As I type, Emmy just moved the tubs surrounding the TV, going after the karaoke mics. William’s cruising down the hallway (he’s FAST), while whining and acting helpless and looking for me, and Jackson is doing the same, but shouting from his sitting position, as though he were glued to the spot.
I gave in and bought the best baby gates available. Now Emilia just hangs by the bars, pacing back and forth, looking like a prisoner. She also does this in her crib; every morning I find her standing there, still not tall enough to look over the top, but screaming at me and stuffing her face as best she can between the slates.
Jason errs on the side of caution, and I, the side of…less caution. We generally meet in the middle, and learn a lot from each other. One day he surprised me and said, “Let’s take the babies out to eat.” I was [Continue Reading…]
8 months
Written By: Esther / Category: News / View Comments: 6
Milestones: Emilia is crawling now (since 29 weeks), army style!! Emmy was the last baby (by over a month) to roll over. Now she’s the only one who crawls. William is the biggest hugger, really gripping and clinging, insisting to be held all day long (he switched with Jackson, typical). Jason finally admits that it seems like all 3 babies say, “mama.” All babies hold their bottles, but William is by far the best. The boys each have 6 teeth (the same six, of course), and Emilia has 2 teeth. All babies weight about 20 lbs (oh, the back pain).
William (Mr. Hug’s brother) is now nicknamed “Mr. Grips” or “Klinger” or “Klingon.” Both Jason and I settled on “Yemmy pants” for Emilia. It’s the only “name” she responds to anymore. Jackson is called, “Birdman” because he rolls his tongue and screams like a pterodactyl (I have footage to prove it).
So the boys switched up on me again. It was Jackson (a.k.a. Mr. Hugs), who originally did all the clinging – now William beats him by a long shot. Emilia still cries to be picked up, but we have yet to get an actual hug out of her. She sticks her arms and legs straight out, making a cross. You have to force her to sit instead of stand…on her tiptoes…Very strange. Everyone still has green eyes, but Emilia’s look different. I think they’ll go brown.
We’re making organic baby food. It’s sooo easy, and we save about $5 a day. Simply steam veggies and fruits and blend. I add the water used for steaming (filled with additional nutrients) to the blender. I only use frozen [Continue Reading…]
7 months
Written By: Esther / Category: News / View Comments: 4
Milestones: Emilia is practically crawling. She does an army crawl/roll that gets her all over the house. She has a strong focus and determination with objects – she sees them, goes towards them, manipulates them, explores, and conquers. She understands commands like “hands up” and, “come to mommy.” It seems like William “talks.” Jackson still holds my attention most frequently.
So, onto the sign language. Anything that promotes communication between me and the babies makes me feel so much closer to them.
I’m back in school full time, meaning I’m teaching undergrads (3 sections), running 2 research studies, and taking classes. I REALLY struggled in my first year of grad school. To me, nothing was more difficult than a research-based PhD program…I was wrong..haha! The program is a HUGE privilege, and not so impossible after triplets! I have A LOT to learn, (especially about statistics), but my confidence increased and my anxiety decreased. I feel competent.
The time away from the babies makes me enjoy them more. The time I spend at school makes me appreciate how awesome it is to have both a family and a career. Of course, often I double my workload; I’ve never worked so hard in my LIFE!! All in all, I’m doing better in school, and better as a mother.
Personality – 27 weeks
Written By: Esther / Category: News / View Comments: 4
Personality: I hate to dub their personalities already, but there’s no denying the differences among babies.
At the moment, Jackson could be described as the ring leader. He’s the reason wake times, meals, and naps begin. Every single morning, Jackson shouts to get up, stirring me and the other two (who would otherwise wait patiently). Everyone knows how Jackson feels; he yells whereas the others “talk.” His needs and desires are undoubtable. People often describe him as “bossy.” I never say a word about his personality to helpers, but everyone eventually says, “Boy, that Jackson…” as in, “He’s really loud and demanding.” He’s keenly aware of my location at all times, to the point that I sometimes hide from him. He gets “jealous” if I pick up another baby. I tell him he’s already been held, it’s someone else’s turn, but still, he ends up in my arms much more often than the others. Being the only one I held consistently in the hospital, he made himself the first baby bonded to me. As the first who really hugged, Jason nicknamed him, “Mr. Hugs.” He was also the first to scoot across the mat, roll in both directions, sit up, and cut teeth.
Emilia…she looks very “feminine,” but don’t expect her to be your typical girl, especially when she’s intent on something. She’s skilled with objects, and the only one who cries if her toy is taken (more like ripped from her hands). Whereas the boys will hold toys gently in their mouths, Emilia will take heads off. She’s intense. Since birth, she often [Continue Reading…]
